Federal judge sides with officials on Democratic convention protest route

A federal Chicago judge sided with officials in a case dealing with planned protests outside the Democratic National Convention.

The dispute deals with the planned route of protesters, who must obtain a permit for their protest march. The Secret Service and Chicago police objected to the proposed route, arguing that it could create a “crush zone” against security barriers.

U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood agreed with the alternative route offered by the Secret Service and Chicago police, which is roughly 1 mile shorter. She argued that the original route could put protesters and police “at great risk of bodily injury or death if a crowd were to surge or press up against the barrier.”

The Coalition to March on the DNC, consisting of over 200 groups, says it expects 20,000 people to attend, the Washington Post reported. It objected to the decision.

Hatem Abudayyeh, a coalition spokesman, told the outlet that they had fought “to make certain that all the protesters we expect to head to Chicago next week are able to make their voices heard; if we’re forced on this route that Judge Wood approved, that won’t happen.”

“We’re not giving up,” he added. “We fought for permits so that we would have the greatest defense for our communities to be safe, but either way, it is our moral duty to march on the war makers, and that’s what we’ll do!”

Protests at the Republican National Convention were noticeably muted, largely due to the event taking place shortly after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.